Materials Designated "Served by Appointment Only"

Materials designated "Served by appointment only" are
those that require special handling. Staff arrange a time to serve the material and work one-on-one with the person requesting to view it. (Note: For material designated "Served by appointment (Unprocessed)" see information on Access to Unprocessed Material.) If the material has been digitized or another type of surrogate (substitute) copy exists, researchers should use the surrogate for reference access.

Arranging an Appointment

Generally, staff can set up an appointment within a day of receiving a request to view material, except in the case of architectural drawings, where service time varies with the amount and size of the material requested.

If you are in the reading room and encounter material designated "Served by appointment only," please speak with a reference staff member about arranging service.

If you are not in the reading room, please contact reference staff. Contact information is available at: http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/address.html. (Note: Using the Prints & Photographs Division Ask a Librarian service is generally the most efficient means of contacting us to arrange for service.)

Duplication of Served by Appointment Material

Staff will need to evaluate the condition of the material to determine whether and how it can be duplicated. In some cases, the Duplication Services may apply surcharges for special handing.

Prepared by: Prints and
Photographs Division. Last revised
September 2009.